Starmer says UK has not yet made decision on response to Strait of Hormuz blockade
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated this Monday that the Government has not yet made a decision on possible measures related to the Strait of Hormuz, but that talks are still underway.
“In relation to defensive action, whether it is what we are doing in the region, what we have been doing since the first hours after the start of the conflict, or the use of our bases… the Strait of Hormuz is a separate debate, and it is a debate. We have not reached a decision yet,” Starmer said.
Starmer has demonstrated in his attitude towards Trump and the crisis unleashed in the Middle East that his interests are more aligned with Europe than with the United States.
The British Prime Minister, who spoke with the American President by telephone this Sunday, after several days of serious disagreements between the two, limited himself to pointing out, through a statement, that “both had highlighted the need to open the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic.” Downing Street, and Starmer himself, chose to be cautious with their words, but it was clear that the United Kingdom said no to Washington’s demand that it immediately send its warships to the area to protect shipping, which the Iranian regime has managed to disrupt.
In return, the British Prime Minister reported this Monday, in a press conference dedicated to explaining the aid to British households to alleviate the cost of energy caused by this crisis, he announced that his Government is working with all allies – in Europe and in the Gulf – to seek a viable solution in the Strait of Hormuz.
“It’s not going to be an easy task,” said Starmer, suggesting in this way that he was not going to bow to Trump’s urgencies. The Prime Minister has once again insisted that British military activity in the region is limited to defending its interests and those of its allies, and that it will not allow itself to be dragged into the offensive against Iran. “The best way to reduce costs [económicos] is to put an end to this war,” he said.
